1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing apparatuses, image searching methods, and programs. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image processing apparatus operable with an image display device, an image searching method used for image processing executed by the image processing apparatus, and a program for causing a computer to execute the image searching method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In image processing apparatuses that store image data on storage media so that image data can be retrieved and displayed or various types of image processing can be executed on the image data as needed, the capacity of storage media and the speed of image processing have been increasing. Thus, it is now possible to deal with a large number of images. However, it is not easy to find image data desired by a user from a large number of pieces of image data stored on a storage medium.
In view of the situation described above, data searching devices dedicated to image searching have been proposed (e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-202975). In such a data searching device, search target data including image data and metadata (attribute information attached to associated image data, e.g., EXIF information) is stored. When a user has selected an image that serves as a reference image, metadata attached to the image is retrieved, and the search-target data is searched using the metadata.
As an example of searching that is executed using information attached to an image, it is possible to execute searching based on a parameter that is set to the image in advance by the user.
However, the data searching device according to the related art is not associated with an image display device. Image searching is a function that is used when a user is browsing images on an image display device, so that it is desired that image searching can be executed as a part of the functionality of an image display device.
Furthermore, in the data searching device according to the related art, in addition to searching for images (e.g., JPEG images) having metadata that is the same as metadata of a reference image (i.e., JPEG image), it is desired that the following types of image searching be readily allowed:                Searching for a pre-processing (pre-conversion) RAW image based on a JPEG image        Searching for post-processing (post-conversion) JPEG images based on a RAW image        Searching for post-editing JPEG images based on a JPEG image        Searching for pre-editing JPEG images based on a JPEG image        Searching for other JPEG images based on a JPEG image corresponding to the same post-processing RAW image        Searching for RAW images that have not yet been processed (converted) into JPEG images        